Inside SpyEye: How the Russian hacker behind the billion-dollar malware was taken down

For two years, SpyEye was the world’s most destructive piece of malware targeting banks and financial institutions, infecting more than 50 million PCs and causing estimated damage of $1 billion. The malware, created by a young Russian hacker who liked to brag of its malevolence, was secretly installed on victims’ computers, spread via spam emails and malicious websites, and worked by silently stealing the banking and credit card details of millions of people.

Now its victims finally have some closure. On Wednesday, Alexander Panin, the 27-year-old creator of the pernicious computer program, was sentenced in an Atlanta court.

International Business Times tells the story of how Panin was tracked.